A concertgoer leaving the UC Theatre late Saturday night watched in horror as a bald man tried to shove an older rider off the platform at the Downtown Berkeley BART station, then pulled out a large knife and threatened people nearby before getting stuck trying to flee through the station’s fare gates. The suspect, identified by BART as 60-year-old Kevin Pina of Castro Valley, was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon.
The witness, who had attended a show at the UC Theatre, described the incident to The Berkeley Scanner. The outlet reported that a woman was treated at the scene for a minor abrasion, which BART attributed to the altercation. The witness said Pina reached the fare gates but could not work out how to get through them before police arrived.
BART installed Next Generation Fare Gates at Downtown Berkeley in February 2025, replacing the old wedge-shaped gates with tall swinging gates, according to Berkeleyside. The Scanner reported that Pina did not have a BART ticket and could not get through the gates. The account does not establish that the gates delayed police or caused his arrest.
Witness Says Police Response Was Fast, but Station Was Unstaffed
The witness told the Scanner they called 911 and that roughly 20 police units responded, including officers carrying long guns. According to the witness, Pina surrendered after armed officers told him to do so. A second reader who spoke to the outlet reported that Pina had two knives, dropped them and cooperated with his detention…